


The harsh reality of a knife in your stomach

by riddlebird



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst to Fluff, M/M, harvey bullock is also an asshole, please don't hate me this is my first fic, someone wrap ed in a blanket, this fic is mainly ed-centric, warning: stab wounds mentioned, wowza i love my gay sons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2017-04-01
Packaged: 2018-10-12 11:57:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10490388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riddlebird/pseuds/riddlebird
Summary: This is not how Edward Nygma thought he would be spending his Friday night.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so this is my first actual fic that I'm writing, so if it sucks please don't hate me.
> 
> I came up with this idea when I was in the shower and thought, "hey, why not write this down?" so I started writing and this beautiful story was born. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do :) !

This is not the way Edward Nygma thought he would be spending his Friday night.

Anything would be better than this, even going back to Arkham. He expected a quiet evening, a normal evening, but nothing is ever normal in Gotham. He didn’t expect a West city gang member to go rogue. He didn’t expect him to break into the mansion, and he definitely didn’t expect him to stab his husband.

Now, Oswald Cobblepot is standing in the middle of the room, a knife sticking out of his stomach while Ed is frankly catatonic, just staring at him in utter shock and disbelief.

“O-Oswald?” Ed asks, slowly walking towards his injured husband. He reaches out a shaky hand to touch his face. Oswald tries to move his arm up to return the gesture, but the sudden movement causes him to fall. This snaps Ed out of his state almost immediately as he shrieks and runs to catch him. He grabs Oswald right before he hits the ground. When they come to a rest, they realize that their position is all too familiar.

In that moment Ed feels like he’s lying on the stage at the Sirens club after Oswald had just saved his life. The fond memory brings him a slight sense of comfort, but hearing Oswald cough, and feeling something wet on his hand brings him back to reality.

When he looks at his hand, he sees blood. Oswald’s blood. It’s enough to start the tears Ed was trying so hard to hold back, run down his face like raindrops on a window. 

“Ed, I love you. I love you so much” Oswald all but whispers placing a hand on Ed’s cheek. His hand starts to fall but Ed grabs it and holds it up, “I need you to know just how much I love you, in case I —”

“Shh” Ed manages to get out through his onslaught of tears, “Don’t say that. You’ll make it, I promise. You have to.” His words are so quiet and broken that they almost sound like a breath of air. Oswald wants nothing more than to comfort the broken man holding him, but he’s in too much pain, the world seems out of focus. Ed rests their foreheads together and Oswald smiles a bittersweet smile at him,

“What hospital is going to treat me? I’m a criminal. They’ll turn me away, they don’t care if I live or if I die. ‘Less scum on this earth’” Oswald lets out a hoarse laugh as tears start to gather in the corners of his eyes. He looks up at Ed’s heartbroken face which is slowly realising that there is no way his husband can get medical help. Ed grabs his hand and holds it on his face, needing a constant reminder that his love, his whole world was still breathing. He lets his sobs ring out now, raw and unending. He feels like he’s the one who’s been stabbed, not Oswald. It feels like his heart has been ripped from his body and crushed to dust right in front of him, and he can’t do anything about it.

For once Ed’s brain is drawing a blank, he has no idea what he can do to save his dying husband, so he cries. He can’t remember a time when he’s cried as much as he is now. His world is falling apart, without Oswald he has nothing. He’ll be just like he was when he was still a sniveling loser at the GCPD. Wait, the GCPD. Of course!

Ed grabs his phone and dials Jim Gordon’s office number as fast as he can. He prays silently that the number hasn’t changed. “Come on, come on, come on” he taps his foot on the floor as the line rings,

“Pick up! Please.” The phone is about to go to voicemail when a confused voice carries through the receiver.

“Hello? Who is this” Ed lets out a thankful sob as he clutches Oswald closer to him.

“It’s Ed” he replies shakily. Jim lets out a sigh, and Ed can practically see him face palming through the phone.

“Ed, I don’t have time for this. I have work to do. If you’re just going to bother me with your riddles, or send me on another crime chase I’ll just send the team over to take you to Arkham now.” Ed starts to panic. No no no no no, he needs Oswald to be okay, he NEEDS help. His breathing starts to speed up and his sobs become more erratic.

“Holy shit, Ed. Are you okay?” Jim asks, concern evident in his voice.

“No” Ed replies weakly, “ I need your help. Please” Oswald looks up at him and presses a small kiss to his hand. This just makes Ed sob harder, because even when hes; dying Oswald is still trying to make him feel better.

“Ed, Ed, ED CALM DOWN. I need you to explain what the hell is going on, because I sure am confused” Jim says slowly, Ed sniffles and squeezes Oswald’s hand, Oswald squeezes back. He takes some deep breaths and starts to explain.

“Jim, is Doctor Thompkins available? If so, could you please bring her to the mansion, because Oswald got stabbed and I can’t take him to a regular hospital and he’s going to die, fuck I’m so worried, he can’t die, he can’t —” Ed's word start to jumble more together, raising in volume as he rambles on and on.

“Ed, pull yourself together.” He sniffles, “Lee, Harvey and I will be there in no more than 10 minutes, just hold on, and don’t try and move him” Ed breathes out a sigh of relief as he hangs up the phone. He starts to talk to Oswald in hushed tones. Whispering memories, riddles, facts about birds, anything to get his mind off the fact that his husband was lying on the ground bleeding to death.

Oswald grabs the collar of his shirt and tugs at it. Ed is all too familiar with this gesture and leans down to kiss his husband. The kiss is short but sweet, Ed can taste the blood in Oswald’s mouth. They rest their foreheads together, awaiting the arrival of Jim Gordon. “Please don’t die” Ed chokes out, tears finding their way down his cheeks again,

“You can’t leave me, I love you.” Ed collapses into heartbroken sobs, and all Oswald can do is watch as his husband tears himself apart with grief.


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say that Ed isn't good with emotions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's April Fools Day, so instead of being mean and fake updating, I actually updated! WOOOOO!
> 
> Happy Reading!

Oswald is clinging to Ed with an iron death grip, refusing to let go. Ed strokes his hair while tears continue to fall down his face. He prays to every God out there that Oswald makes it out alive. That he doesn’t die in his arms.

“If you’re up there” Ed looks at the ceiling, he takes a shuddering breath and continues, “Please don’t take my baby, he’s all I have left.” The last part is almost undecipherable, as his throat is too choked up.  
Somewhere between all of Ed’s sobbing and pleading, Oswald had fallen unconscious, and Ed being the idiot he is, had failed to notice. Of course when Ed looks down and sees his husband limp in his arms with his eyes closed, he fears the worst and starts to panic.

“Fuck, Oswald!” Ed taps his shoulder frantically trying to get him to wake up, to respond, to do anything, “Oswald wake up! Please!” After the initial panic, his first aid senses kick in and he’s leaning down with his ear next to Oswald’s mouth. No breathing. He looks to his chest. It’s not moving. This is the time when Ed starts to panic, he can’t give CPR, that would possibly injure him more, he doesn’t have an AED so he can’t jump start his heart. The endless possibilities run through his head, none of them having a positive outcome. Ed tries to calm himself by reciting the elements one by one, in order. 

“Hydrogen… Helium… Lithium… Beryllium… Fuck I don’t have an AED… Boron… Carbon—” He’s cut off by his own sob. God, he’s so stupid. There is no way Oswald is making it out of this alive. The thought just makes him hold Oswald closer to his chest, daring anyone to take him away.

The front door swings open with a bang and three figures walk quickly inside. Ed is drawn out of his panicked haze. Lee runs in with her (thank god) AED, and medical kit. She takes a good look at the situation and sighs.

“Ed, put him on that table” She instructs, already slipping on gloves and opening her kit. Of course Ed wastes no time and practically sprints over to the table clutching Oswald to hs chest like a china doll. Jim and Harvey are still standing in the doorway, still trying to take in the scene before them.

“Shit, you weren’t lying when you said Nygma was hysterical,” Harvey mutters to Jim who just nods in return, “They’re both wearing pajamas, I never thought I’d see the day where Penguin wasn’t all prettied up for the public” The two men snicker together. 

“Ed you need to leave” Lee says, not looking up from examining the wound. Ed chokes on his own breath.

“E-excuse me?” Lee puts down her tools and turns to look at Ed.

“Leave. I have work to do.” Ed looks at her like she’s grown another head

“You don’t understand I—”

“Ed go” This attracts the attention of Jim and Harvey who start to make their way over.

“NO, I WON’T LEAVE HIM” Harvey tries to grab him, but Ed punches him square in the jaw making him stumble backwards. Jim grabs Ed from behind and starts to pull him out of the room.

“FUCK YOU JIM! I NEED TO BE THERE! HE COULD DIE!” Ed is kicking and screaming but Jim won’t let go. He doesn’t let go until they’re out of the main room and the door is closed. Ed slumps against the wall and sobs, full unrestrained sobs.   
The two detectives look at each other, both knowing how to deal with this kind of emotion from normal people, but not from murderous psychopaths. Especially not Edward Nygma. The man was known for being quite cold hearted, emotionally distant. Nobody’s ever seen him cry, hell half the police force doesn’t think he can cry, but here they are.

Ed stands up and wipes his eyes, cursing himself for letting two GCPD employees see him cry like a weak person would do. He straightens out his blood stained shirt and turns to the two detectives.

“I’m going to make some food, would you like any?” When there is no response, Ed just walks to the kitchen anyways. He starts the kettle boiling hot water, and grabs a fragile mug for his tea. He stands just staring at the two men while his water boils.

“Would you two like any tea?” He suggest trying to break the awkward tension. Bullock gives him a look,

“Honestly Nygma, I wouldn’t consume a single thing you’ve created. Probably tainted, just like you.” Ed’s friendly expression drops a little but still remains present. The kettle beeps signifying that his tea is done brewing. He grabs his cup and slowly pours the boiling liquid in.

“I know he’s your friend and all, but why get so worked up over this?” Ed turns around to face Harvey, his face suddenly darkening. 

“I mean, think of it this way: if he dies you’re just getting rid of competition” Ed’s fist clenches around the teacup. “It’s a win for us too, ‘just one less filthy criminal in the world’” His fist squeezes tighter, tighter, tighter, and then—

CRASH! The cup shatters as his fist crushes it. His hand is bleeding but he doesn’t care. Ed grabs a shard of the broken china and shoves Detective Bullock against the wall, holding it to his throat.

“Let me make myself clear” Ed whispers dangerously, “If he dies, you die. No exceptions,” he smirks at Bullock’s nervous reaction, “or maybe I could just kill you right now” Ed presses the shard a little harder into his throat and starts to laugh. It’s a manic laugh, only brought out by true pain.

The next thing Ed sees is a fist, and then nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, personally it's one of my favorites, sorry it took so long to put up.
> 
> Next chapter coming soon!
> 
> (FUN FACT: the CPR and AED information is actual red cross certified procedure for caring for an unconscious victim)

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this part, because I really enjoyed writing it. 
> 
> The next part should be up tomorrow
> 
> Any comments are welcome: nice ones, mean ones, criticism, writing tips, anything. I just want to know more about how I can improve my writing.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading :)


End file.
